"Is Using 'Museopno' an 'Ilbe' Expression?... Geoje City Issues Official Statement Amid Lissene Won Controversy"

Official Statement from Geoje Mayor Following Civil Complaints

"'Museopno' Is Everyday Dialect... Political Interpretation Is Inappropriate"

The city of Geoje in Gyeongnam Province, the hometown of Won from the group Lissene and which appointed Lissene as its public ambassadors, has released an official statement as controversy grows over Won’s use of the phrase "Museopno" ("I'm scared," in dialect) on her YouTube channel.

Risenn One. YouTube

On the 10th, Geoje Mayor Byeon Gwangyong stated, "Lissene’s Won has consistently promoted her hometown, Geoje, through her YouTube channel by introducing the charming Geoje dialect and everyday scenes from Geoje, and has received much love for her humble and sincere demeanor. The expression in question is a colloquial phrase and dialect commonly used in the Gyeongnam region, and it is Geoje City’s position that interpreting it as having a particular political intention is inappropriate."

He also emphasized, "The reckless dissemination of unverified information and excessive criticism can cause harm to those involved. We ask for your cooperation in ensuring a mature culture of communication based on mutual respect."

He added, "Geoje City will continue to do its best, together with our public ambassadors, to enhance the brand value and image of Geoje."

Group Lissene, appointed as public ambassadors for Geoje City, Gyeongnam Province, last May. From left: Live, Jenna, Won, May, Minami. Geoje City

Previously, Minami, a member of the same group and also from Geoje, casually exclaimed "Geoje Yaho" during a conversation, which became a meme (an online viral content), leading Geoje City to appoint Lissene as its public ambassadors.

However, controversy arose after a PD at Gyeongnam MBC criticized Won’s use of "Museopno" while entering her younger sister Minami’s softly lit room in a YouTube video, calling it an "Ilbe-style expression" on his social media. Former leader of the Cho Kuk Innovation Party, Cho Kuk, fueled the debate by claiming that the ending ‘-no’ is used to mock the late former President Roh Moo-hyun. In response, Lee Junseok, leader of the Reform New Party, countered, "A 22-year-old idol from Geoje was branded as Ilbe simply for using her hometown dialect and saying 'Museopno.'"

In academia, the consensus is that attaching the '-no' ending to words of emotion or exclamation is neither a grammatical error nor an Ilbe-specific usage. Research by the National Institute of the Korean Language has also confirmed instances of '-no' being used in sentences without interrogatives in regional dialects.

Nevertheless, the controversy has grown, with recent civil complaints submitted to Geoje City through the National Petition Portal requesting an official stance on how the city interprets Won’s use of the expression.

Meanwhile, it has been reported that the PD who first raised the issue about Won’s remarks has since closed his social media account.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.